For the past week or so, I’ve been a bit sick. Not “woe is me, woe is me, help me push my liver back into my spleen and comfort me with stories of four-legged rainbows or else I’ll cry” sick, more just “post-conference, post-multiple work deadlines, post-final gospel concert, post-friend’s wedding in Sydney, post-discovering my wonderful boss is leaving, post-too-many-Pringles-and-jars-of-peanut-butter” sick. The kind of sick where you look bad enough to be sent home from work, but are okay enough to curl up in bed and read for hours instead of – what was it I said before? – pushing your liver back into your spleen.

Anyway, the point of telling you this is that I was feeling mopey last week when, all of a sudden, a delivery man walked into my office and handed me a box from Canada. A box from the inspiring Ricki, she of the intricate wordsmithery, inventive healthy desserts, and wonderful Wellness Weekends to which I contribute my balls. A box that made me forget being unwell and instead made me feel exhilerated.

Several months ago, I mentioned to Ricki posts that I’d never tried coconut sugar, which she uses regularly in her ACD-friendly recipes. Immediately, Ricki offered to send me a packet. I acquiesced, as long as she gave me her address too.

When the parcel from Ricki arrived at my work, I was beyond speechless. And then I was babbling, because Ricki didn’t just send me a packet of coconut sugar. The amazing, naughty, kind-hearted, makes-my-heart-swell, incredibly generous woman sent me so, so much more.

As my colleague and friend Jenni watched on in excitement, I pulled out the coconut sugar and then a box of vegan, gluten-free, surely-super-healthy chocolate cookies.

“I don’t understand!” I started babbling, “Ricki was only supposed to send fancypants sugar! Just sugar!”

“Oh my gosh! A vegan protein bar! We have nothing like that here… AAAAAH! How can it be vegan when it includes spiders?! … Oh. Arachides, not arachnids. False alarm. We’re cool, Jenni, we’re cool.”

I reached into the box again.

The wonders didn’t stop. Ricki’s box was like Mary Poppins’ magical bag, filled with the most perfect, happiness-soaring, food-related gifts.

“That’s such a cute tea towel,” Jenni said, picking up the coffee-printed fabric.

“Hmm,” Jenni said, looking at the phone. “We might want to try that again, without you jumping up and down this time.”

“That’s better,” Jenni said.

(I may look sick and worn-out in the second photo, but at least I don’t look like a circus-fun-mirror version of Where’s Wally as in the first, and you can see the gorgeous and super-soft mittens and beanie now.)

Ricki, my incredible friend, it’s hard to convey in this blog post the extent of my gratitude for your kindness, because my feelings go beyond words. The thought that you put into these gifts, the extent to which you disregarded the terrors of international postage, your generosity towards me when you’re so respected and well-known that you even make treats for movie stars… I want to give you such a big hug right now. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.

Thank you.

Question Time: Does anyone have delicious coconut sugar recipes I can experiment with?

What a fabulously exciting and timely box of surprises! Enjoy every single bite and nibble and get well soon.
Unfortunately I’m not able to share any delicious coconut sugar recipes, I’m not even able to share any non-delicious coconut sugar recipes as I’ve never even heard of it before. I do however look forward to the recommendations that come from others.

Ain’t never heard of no coconut sugar, it sounds yummy yum. I like to rag on Canada, but damn are they giving and generous people! Are those Roots mittens? I like to rag on Roots too, but damn it’s just cause I’m jealous of those mitts.

That maple butter looks frickin awesome. Yeah, so Canada might produce 80% of the world’s maple syrup, to the U.S.’s 20%. But Vermont produces 40% of the U.S.’s 20. So there’s something.

Perhaps your blurry photo was actually due to your spotting of some Arachides in the corner of your workspace. Don’t hold out on us:)

Having no unearthly idea what Roots are, apart from a proper-nounized version of tree bottoms or euphemism, I cannae say for sure! What I do know is that both mittens (mitts?) and beanie are super soft and warm 🙂

I like how the only time my brain won’t turn off at the first glimpse of numbers is when the numbers are in relation to food. Mmmm, syrupy percentages… Also, any time I see/hear/eat maple syrup/sugar/butter, I’m immediately taken back to The Little House in the Big Woods.

Please, please, please DON’T YOU DARE tell me there are Arachides in my office. I have to be able to concentrate in there!

Roots is/are I believe a Canadian dept store. I have an “I love Roots” t-shirt sent to me by a Canadian a few years ago but it’s a bit risque to wear here I think so I haven’t yet been brave enough to do so!

Whew–so glad it finally arrived!! And how adorable is that photo of you with the toque and mitts?! (which of course I realize you will never “have” to wear. . .but what the heck, they’re Canadian!). I’m so glad you like the goodies–I wanted a little selection of some of my fave Canadian-made vegan treats (and as I said, unfortunately bars of chocolate would have melted helplessly in your heat right now. . . but can’t believe I forgot to take the price tag off that granola–yikes–faux pas!!!). You just made my night, seriously–I am smiling ear to ear. (And btw, none of those fancypants movie stars ever thanked me, by the way–not a one. This is so much better.) 😀 xo

Toque! So that’s what Canadians call a beanie? Yay for learning new words and points-of-language-difference! Who knew this amazing parcel would be educational as well as delicious and heart-soaring? 🙂 Also, while we don’t get quite the same level of horrific cold here as you do up there, rest assured that the mittens and “toque” will truly be incredibly useful and frequently worn. It does get below zero here in Canberra sometimes, and my poor circulation means that my feet and hands are often blue in winter. Therefore HURRAH!

Ricki, I honestly can’t express how much I love these goodies! And would you believe I hadn’t noticed the price tag until you mentioned it? There goes my perceptiveness cred! 😛 It makes me so happy to think that this post has given you even the tiniest amount of the joy your parcel gave me. I couldn’t ask for anything more!

Also… moviestarts, schmoviestars. Food bloggers are where all the cool is at these days 😉

Teehee!! Thank you, Cathy! It honestly makes my moments of nincompitude so worth it when they make other people giggle 😀 (The worst part is I studied French in high school, so I really should have known better 😉 )

Ricki absolutely does rock! And any chance of bring your bars down under anytime soon? We desperately need vegan healthy snacks like these!

Ricki is a doll (and so are you in those last goodies you pulled out!) and she really outdid herself. I hope you love the coconut sugar! I absolutely love it and use it in my cooking and baking (if I’m not using raw local honey or 100% maple syrup). Although, here in the states, some companies call it palm sugar. 😀 Enjoy your goodies!

Thank you so much for commenting, Debi, and for your kind words! (Particularly about the photo where I was actually feeling so sick I later got sent home from work!) Ricki truly is amazing, and thank you for giving me confidence about the coconut sugar. I may have to search through your blog for recipes 😉

The palm sugar thing is interesting, because we definitely have palm sugar here but it’s very different beast. It usually comes in a log shape and has to be shaved off with a sharp knife!

You’re welcome, Hannah! I hope you’re feeling better! Sounds like you have the thai style palm sugar. I got that the first time I used it and had a hard time with it. Even after sticking it in the microwave for a bit to soften it up. lol I like to use Navitas Naturals brand because I can buy it on their site 10 pounds at a time. Not sure if they’ll ship to you down under, but doesn’t hurt to look. 😀 There is also “coconut crystals” that I’ve found in one of the markets here, but I can’t remember the brand. They actually tap the tree for this and it’s highly sustainable. But also very expensive. Happy cooking with coconut sugar!

Yep, that’s the one! I’ve only ever used palm sugar in Thai recipes too 🙂 Ooh, Navitas! I just bought a bag of their raw cacao nibs from iHerb; maybe I can get the coconut sugar there too! Shipping for 10 pounds would be insane, though… Teehee, I can justify the occasional expensive splurge on food. After all, I bought the jeans I’m currently wearing in 2007 😉

I wish we had bilingualism as an official practice here in Australia! Actually, that’s almost exactly the type of thing I talk about in my day-to-day work as a policy officer in the NGO advocacy sector…

Also, my stupidity becomes so worth it when it gives others a giggle 😀

Ahhh 🙂 What a lovely package! And a lovely surprise – and now a lovely post. Thanks for transcribing your stream of thoughts, because I can attest that mine would have been similarly exhilerated and overwhelmed and possibly tangential at the end…those products are amazing 🙂

That is an absolutely awesome care package! I think about sending you some chocolate to review every time I open a new bar of fancy pants chocolate. Maybe we can swap addresses sometime and I can send you some fun, local Wisconsin foodie things! 🙂 Would that be too weird?

ooooo so lucky! You so deserve to be spoilt though, you are a special little chicken 🙂 Maple butter?! Swoooooon! I really want to try coconut sugar too – I’ll get some when I get back to Aussie and hopefully by then you will have some amazing vegan recipe for me to try? Yes!

She’s incredible, isn’t she? I still feel so humbled and awed by her generosity and the thought behind all of this 🙂 Thank you for those links!! I better not get snow, though, horrible wet blue-toes-making stuff. *shudder* 😛

Oh bless Ricki, such a lovely thing to do! I love the bloggers’ community because you “meet” so many great people like this that you wouldn’t otherwise have done… and what a great way to cheer you up when you’re feeling meh.
I bought some coconut sugar but have been so determined not to waste it, I’ve hardly used it so I look forward to hearing any recipes you come up with for it!
Hope you feel better soon 🙂

Absolutely! Some of my dearest friends have been forged through blogging 🙂 And yes, there’s always so much sunshine and support in our community, too!

Teehee, I *always* do that with hoarding special ingredients for the perfect, special recipe! Unfortunately, that’s why I had to throw out my soy sweetened condensed milk and a truffle salsa, because I hoarded for so long they went off… 🙁

… and Hannah, I can’t believe you wear to work that Gatlinberg sweater I bought in 1984 when I was caught out there in a cold snap with no warm clothes, the sweater you dressed up many years later in when you were three.

Mum, after a good half hour of searching (which definitely DIDN’T take place here), I tracked down the photo of three-year-old me wearing it that I posted here on my blog! I showed Jenni, and hilarity ensued. Unfortunately, I’ve now forgotten which post it was…

You can’t believe it, but it fills your soul with happy, right? Just think of you in 1984 not knowing the SPECTACULAR presence that would soon be entering your life…

I am honestly, honestly, so constantly surprised and humbled, and not a little bit confused. But grateful! So grateful and honoured. You should have seen me standing in my office in shock when I received this box 😛

Hmm, well, if you take those things, you’re going to have to replace them with yourself. Fair’s fair.

I think K’s onto a good thing with the idea of rolling truffle thingies in coconut sugar. You already saw me candying nuts with it, and I reckon the other winner would be a streusel/crumble kinda topping on baked goods or fruit.

Also, I want to pick that maple butter off the screen and smear it on a waffle. 🙂

Yes, I really like the idea of using the coconut sugar in recipes where it will shine. Love your suggestion for a crumble; I’ll have to try this in my mum’s crumble recipe, which I recently realised has always been gluten-free and vegan!

A waffle? You’re so much classier than me. I just want to smear the butter on my lips.

Aw, I’m sorry to hear you’re sick too! Speaking of Pringles… I was so broke the first time I went to Europe that the only thing I had to eat all day when I was sitting in a train station was a can of Pringles. I can’t even look at them anymore- blech!

Oh my gosh, that story is so sad and yet so hilarious at the same time! I reckon I could happily live the rest of my life never eating Pringles, though. Thank heavens it wasn’t peanut butter you found at the train station 😉

Where can I get my own Ricki? That is one awesome person! But of course you deserve it all, Hannah! I hope you feel better soon. I’m sick too, but in more of a “I ate 10434387 cookies last night at a cookie exchange party” kind of sick. 😉

*laughs* As I said, part of my sickness has been of the “I ate two-thirds of a jar of peanut butter at 11pm” variety, so I know your delicious pain, Sophia 😉 Thank you so much for your kindness! *hugs*

awesome!.. those are some amazing goodies.. and a super fun post and ricki is awesome!.. hope you feel better soon! its kinda freezing here.. so we need some mittens too!.. psst.. hint to ricki… psst.
Take care.. and yeah roll them balls in the sugar , maybe add some ginger bread spices to the sugar before rolling! more spices the merrier!

I love your whirly picture of the toque and mittens. Maple butter has me intrigued. I think it deserves it’s very own guest post when you get to eating it. The chocolate granola (you know I want to call it muesli!) looks good, but I could never cope with something like that for breakfast. I’d need to snack on it later on I think. Hope you’re on the mend by now. I’m sure that maple butter is full of health giving anti-oxidants.

Teehee, I put that photo up because it amuses me (my nose and eyes seems to be in the wrong place in my face), so I’m glad you like it too! 😀

Hmm, you know, I wonder if you *could* cope with this granola for breakfast. It’s barely, barely sweet at all, very hard to describe, in fact. That said, I’m keeping it at work as a snack, not eating it for breakfast, so technically I’m on your side anyway. And thank you for your well-wishes, Louise! Must admit I haven’t tried the maple butter yet, as I’m waiting until my tastebuds are back to full capacity!

With a beautiful care package like that, I might just be tempted to be ill for a little while longer 🙂 I received one of these boxes when I had chicken pox years ago and to this date, I count it as one of the most memorable gifts that I have ever received. Needless to say, I can never forget to beautiful girl that gave it to me.

Coconut sugar! Maple Butter! CANADIA MITTS! I’m so happy for you. I’ve been hit by a case of the sicks recently but I think I’m managing to fight it, and while I haven’t been to conferences or anything I suspect it’s that similar end of year weariness thing.

Reading this post made me remember I had a jar of cocoa nibs on my shelf, but rather than get off the bed and walk over, I leaned precariously across, nearly losing my laptop and nearly smashing a glass and actually getting wacky cramp in my hip, but I managed to bat it towards myself. And now I have a mouthful of cocoa nibs and I didn’t even get out of bed! And I’m reading your blog too, so really life is good.

I was so sorry to hear of your mysterious nausea, Laura! I hope it’s well and truly gone by now, because you’re far too wonderful to deserve being knocked around by evil germy-demons, particularly after that incredible feast you just put on.

Bahaha! Oh my gosh, that scenario you described is EXACTLY what I do constantly, constantly, complete with wacky cramps. I even once fell out of a chair by trying to reach candied almonds that were just – just! – out of reach.

You write so hilariously about being unwell, that first paragraph is gold. I hope you’re jazzy and better now! What an incredibly gorgeous gift, and it just kept going! The maple butter and coconut sugar sound divine. I don’t have any recipes, unfortunately, but no doubt you’ll come up with something brilliant. What a sweet way to be cheered up. Perfect timing. Oh & MITTENS!
Heidi xo

WOW
Thank you so much Hannah for the great review of our Chocolate Granola. We LOVE your blog and all the amazing ppl who follow you- great comments.

We make this granola for breakfast but many use it as an energy snack during the day. I love it in the morning with raspberries, freshly made nut mylk flavored w/ vanilla & coconut sugar. It keeps me going until lunch time.

My Dad used to say my tail wagged when I got near food. I love trying new foods.
Happy Holidays!
xoTara Chris & Jenn from
Live Organic Food Products Ltd. Toronto.
PS. Also if we can get the costs down we will be shipping our products Internationally soon.
PSS —Hope you are all warm over there —we are not! bbbbrrr.

Thank you so much, Tara, Chris, and Jenn! I’m completely enamoured with your granola and it makes my soul cry that I can’t visit you and try more of your creations! And honestly, that breakfast sounds so good that I think I could quite happily eat it for the rest of my life 😛

P.S. Oh, please please do work out a way to send your goodies here soon! If you do, and if I can take you at your word about trying new foods, I’ll totally send you some vegemite in return 😛
P.S. Yes, deliciously warm here! Although they are forecasting rain tomorrow, Christmas Day. In Summer. Silliness!

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About

Hannah. Writer, editor, firm believer in socks, gin, laughter, buttered toast, cheesecake, and semicolons. Currently back in Canberra after two years living in Canada; heart tingling to see what happens next.